Speaking to Insurance Companies - D.C. Personal Injury Attorney John Yannone

Hi my name is John Yannone. I'm a personal injury attorney with Price
Benowitz. If you've experienced the unfortunate circumstance
of being involved in an accident there are certain things you should consider doing. There will come a time that the at fault party's
insurance company will try to reach you by telephone.

They will ask for information. It's very important that you do not feel compelled
to be cooperative. You have no obligation to that insurance company.
You have no obligation to cooperate. In fact, it's most important in many instances
that you do not.

Many times they will act as if they are there
to help you. That they want to do the right thing. That they want to resolve things in
a favorable way. People will find that they will extract the
information they want from you, and then do just the opposite,
that they are not there for you.

That they are not looking out for your interests,
they're looking out for their insured's interest, and they're looking out for the interest of
their company. Another issue you should be aware of is that
in many states, and certainly in our jurisdictions in the Metropolitan area, there's something
called a Defense of Contributory Negligence. That means if you are deemed the least bit
negligent your claim can be barred. So when the insurance company is seeking information,
they may very well be trying to establish facts that are favorable to their insured,
and not to you.

You can report that you were the party involved
in the accident, but when it comes time for a recorded statement, you can refuse to give
that statement. In fact by this time, it is important that
you seek if you have not already done so; that you seek competent representation, so
that these matters can be addressed head on; and you can be advised of your rights. That is when a competent, experienced, aggressive
personal injury attorney comes in handy. Not only to advise you of your rights, but
then to take over the handling of your case, so that you can concentrate on what you need
to concentrate on, which is getting better and following your doctor's advice.

A competent attorney will then take over the
handling of your case, deal with the insurance company, and you don't have to worry about
those matters. If you have the need for an attorney if you've
been involved in an accident call me, and I will be happy to consult with you..